1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the preparation of diced hot banana peppers and, particularly, to a process which does not require manual steps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of garden peppers are used in foods and their popularity is on the increase. Such peppers generally belong to the genus Capsicum and the present application is particularly concerned with a long variety of hot peppers generally known as "hot banana peppers". As commonly found in stores and in the institutional trades, these hot banana peppers are in the form of whole peppers with the core and seeds still present therein. These whole peppers can be stored by pickling, but cannot be frozen because the pulp and seeds blacken when frozen.
A problem that has been encountered with the hot banana peppers is that they have not been amenable to mechanical processing. Thus, in order to remove the undesirable seeds and interior pulp, it has been necessary to manually cut the peppers and remove the central portions including the seeds and pulp by hand.
At the same time, with the widespread use of these peppers in various foods and the great demand for them in a convenient form, there has been a great interest in a means for providing hot banana peppers in a diced form. Such diced peppers could be sold in the form of a diced pickle or as frozen diced peppers.
It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide a convenient commercial procedure for the production of diced hot banana peppers directly from whole peppers without the need for manual preparation.